Canadian tech leaders share what they expect to see in the job market and in the office this year.
The past year has been a tumultuous one for tech workers. The number of vacancies in the industry has almost decreased 20 percent from the peak of the pandemic this summer. Companies began to force employees out of their homes and back to the office. Both recruiters and job seekers have joined escalating battle in the use of AI. Some entrepreneurs fled to the United States, while others fled America to Canada. There are so many unresolved questions about what industry workers will face this year, from job prospects to the role of artificial intelligence in the workforce.
So, we reached out to some of the smartest Canadians in the tech industry to ask what they're watching this year when it comes to working in tech or, conversely, tech in the workplace. Are they excited, worried, or just curious about what the coming year holds? This is what they told us.
BetaKit does not support any of the forecasts we requested. Responses have been edited for length and clarity.
Workers will want remote work, not RTO
“As many large enterprise companies implement return-to-office policies, I predict that fully remote startups will have a huge advantage. In 2026, there will be fewer companies supporting an all-virtual environment, which in turn supports team members (and founders like me) who don't want to live in large urban centers or value flexibility. As a parent of two young children, I've seen first-hand how remote-first policies also make the workplace more flexible and accessible.”
—Erin Bury, co-founder and CEO of online platform Willful
“Companies that force people back into the office will pay for it in higher turnover rates and lower productivity.”
—Sam JenkinsManaging partner of the digital innovation consulting company Punchcard Systems
“In 2025, our data showed that candidates were about three times more likely to consider new roles if they could work remotely. Looking to the future, companies that are too rigid about returning to the office risk losing talent. Remote work is not a throwback to the pandemic, it is a baseline expectation.”
—Sarah Doughty, vice president of talent at Talentlab, a talent acquisition company.
Real connections will still be valuable
“In 2026…the real magic will come from cohesive, curated spaces where you can skip the small talk and build meaningful relationships that create real momentum and growth. When you cut out the noise and only bring in people who create, the whole group accelerates.”
—Tate Hackert co-founder of the financial platform ZayZoon
Companies will have to balance between workers and artificial intelligence
“My hope is that startups will take full advantage of AI in their operations so they can drive growth faster and longer. AI will quickly identify weak business models, and companies built on manual effort or unclear differentiation may struggle. Those built for a human-driven operating model built into AI will scale faster and last longer.”
—Bill Sirros, national leader in artificial intelligence at accounting and advisory firm BDO Canada.
“AI agents will become colleagues in 2026, joining both technical and non-technical teams as trained and collaborative employees in the AI workplace.”
— Kaiser Habib, head of technology at cloud company Snowflake Canada.
“2025 has shown us that automated hiring and AI agency tools are often more effective than efficient. In 2026, I expect the gap between how corporate leaders value these tools and how candidates actually use them will continue to grow. The number of automated interviewers is still quite limited, and spam email or text campaigns lose effectiveness as candidates become overwhelmed by the high volume of irrelevant inquiries. These tools don't replicate a person's touchpoint and have even spawned viral memes on the internet.
“Part of the reason these tools are popular now is simple: it's still a tech employer market… but markets fluctuate, and when it shifts toward a candidate-centric market, bad experiences will be noticed. Either way, expect social media bullying to continue into 2026.”
—Sarah Doughty, vice president of talent at Talentlab, a talent acquisition company.
We all need to get better at having difficult conversations.
“[There are] In 2026, I would like to see us as a community learn to practice fighting two things.
First, how can we practice refusal together? Disengagement is a muscle we need to exercise when we see bad tech deals, bad public funding investments, and bad proposals that will harm our colleagues, communities, and our planet. It can be truly scary when the dominant narrative makes you feel like you're a Luddite if you say no and don't try to negotiate or negotiate with companies that aren't custodians of our well-being.
Second, how can we challenge, disagree, and support each other by changing our minds on difficult issues publicly without remaining stuck in beliefs that no longer serve us? This is a practice of humility and public trust that we will greatly need in the coming days if we are to be good ancestors for future generations.”
— Saadia Muzaffar, founder of the non-profit organization TGC.co and co-founder of Tech Reset Canada.
Canada's greatest resource will be the talent it can attract (and hopefully retain).
“As the U.S. increasingly focuses on domestic industry, global tech talent will continue to seek North American roots, and Canada becomes an increasingly attractive destination.”
—Dan Davidow, Director of Marketing for Jane's Healthcare Booking Management Software
“Talent remains a critical bottleneck. Canada continues to face a shortage of senior engineers with hands-on DeFi experience. We are working as partners to drive faster progress on talent development and immigration pathways.”
—Abbas Abu Daya, founder and CEO of fintech company Gearlay
“With recent changes to the country's immigration policies, we are concerned about the impact this will have on efforts to recruit new talent. Talent recruitment is an ongoing challenge for the tech sector in the north.”
—Executive Director of Tech Yukon
“Canada's greatest export will be its teams and talent. I truly believe Canada's greatest export is not our lumber or uranium, but the talent and technical teams of students and new graduates from places like Waterloo and the University of Tennessee. More and more of them are leaving immediately after graduation or simply dropping out after their second year and rushing straight into cutting-edge labs like xAI or YCombinator-style companies being built outside of Canada.”
— Moe Sabbagi, founder of search and data science software, The Intelligent Search Company.
“I look for companies that don't just deliver functions, but create people strategies that upskill, reskill and include underrepresented groups. In my opinion, the next decade will belong to organizations that treat talent as a renewable resource and understand that it is impossible to have a strategy for the future of work without a strategy for gender equality.”
— April Hicke, founder and CEO of Toast, a recruiting company supporting women in technology.
“Globally, the demand for Canadian technology and talent is stronger than ever, but remaining competitive will require focused ecosystem building and significant support from founders.”
—Danielle Graham, co-founder of Firehood, an angel network for women in tech.
“2026 will be a pivotal year for Canada's workforce landscape as uncertainty in the US continues to push skilled workers north. Employers will push to lower barriers to attracting top talent to the tech sector and lean more heavily on their values to recruit like-minded people from around the world. At the same time, as part-time and entry-level positions continue to decline, young people entering the workforce will not have the luxury of traditional routes. More young Canadians will turn to to entrepreneurship as a practical way to gain experience and income.
— Nora Jenkins Townson, founder of HR consultancy Bright + Early
Illustration courtesy of Madison McLachlan for BetaKit.
